I was fortunate enough to pick this tree up at a local club meeting for a price that I almost couldnt pass up.  It has its flaws, but I definitely see a pretty good tree out of this one.  The series of overall shots are of the tree being rotated counter-clockwise. First, which do you like for a front? Pic one is most likely the chosen front of the previous owner. All the branches grow out towards the viewer with this front, but the tree slopes away from you.  The flow of the trunk and tree is pleasing from this view. The more I look at the tree, the more I dig pic 4.  It is the complete opposite view of pic 1.  This front has the best nebari, you see more of the trunk.  The tree leans towards you. However, the trunk chop is visible from this view, and it certainly isnt going anywhere in the next 7-10 years.  More to come...

Alright, last post. These photos show the biggest flaws of the tree. I might also add that this is my first scots pine.  I prefer JBP, but they are next to impossible to find in the Pittsburgh region.  Actually, alot of people seem to love scots pines on the east coast, so maybe this tree will be the moment I switch over to the species. This being said, I do not know the nitty gritty details of how this species is treated.  I understand they sort of like jbp, but not really.  Some decandle like jbp, and others say thats a terrible idea.  I certainly have some reading up to do, and if anyone has a thread they would like to share, please do.  Ok, you can see someone did not properly prune and ramify some of the branches.  This branch tip whorl is an example that can be found in atleast 2 other areas on the tree. Correcting areas like this goes back to understanding how the species reacts and grows.  I know with jbp it would be quite easy to nurture a couple buds behind this growth and then cut it back a year or two after the young buds had matured.  Is it worth it to go back and regrow alot of the branch ramification on this tree?  I have never undertaken a process like this before so I am open to opinions. Finally, what to do with that trunk chop?  It really is only visible from the one side, and if that is not the front chosen, then the viewer would rarely see it.  Any tips on inducing faster healing?  I am thinking about opening the cambium around the scar and covering with cut paste to facilitate more/better healing.

 agree, very nice.  A little wire and wow!

ditto what everyone else said. From the photos I agree with you on picture number 4, great movement and overall character from that angle. The scar doesnt bother me much at all.

Yes, that is a nice tree.  And I also like the 4th pic.  Continuing the shari from the scar would look fine on an old tree like this imo.

No clue on the variety.  The tree is 30-34" high from the soil with a 5.5-6" trunk above the nebari.  I think the needles are almost too short.  I wouldnt mind having them lengthen a little more.  I wasnt planning on treating it like a jbp, but I am unsure of how to treat it.  Mind giving me a short run down on scots pine refinement techniques? Do you just pinch the candles as the elongate in the spring?  I would like to achieve some backbudding this year because I want to refine the branch structure a bit.

Thanks for all the comments! I am pretty pumped about this one. Its nice that #4 was a unanimous winner.

Looks like very short needles already. I would not treat like JBP.

I would probably treat it like 5-needle pine.

Why would you NOT treat it like JBP?  Scots have 2 needles after all.  Is it because the needles are already short and much of the regimen of JBP care is in an effort to create short needles?

Hi all,

I think this is a great pine.
As to how to care for it: Scots pines can be decandled, rather early in spring and not every year! Much controlling of growth is done by budselection in winter and breaking overlong candles.
Some let a Scots pine grow all spring and summer and prune back all summers growth in early winter. This causes a lot of backbudding.
A healthy Scots pine can be almost as vigorous as a JBP.
With Yamadori Scots (and Mugo) Pines, very small needles might indicate that a tree is not very well established

Dirk